Vos Matthijn R, Bomans Paul H H, Frederik Peter M, Sommerdijk Nico A J M
Soft Matter Cryo-TEM Research Unit, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Ultramicroscopy. 2008 Oct;108(11):1478-83. doi: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2008.03.014. Epub 2008 Jun 26.
Aqueous interfaces are of paramount importance in the study of biological systems as well as in the biomedical sciences. To study these interfaces at the nanometer level it is of interest to develop methods that allow their observation with cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). Prevention of dehydration to preserve the "native" state during sample preparation prior to vitrification is often one of the most important parameters to control in cryo-TEM experiments. For the preparation of these types of samples, we felt the need for an extended workspace with temperature and humidity control; a 'glove-box' that seamlessly connects to the vitrification instrument, the Vitrobot. In this paper we describe the use of the glove-box in the 2D and 3D cryo-TEM study of DNA adsorption and calcium carbonate mineralization to Langmuir films. The data presented illustrates the necessity of a humidity-controlled environment to preserve the original "native" state of the monolayer system.
水界面在生物系统研究以及生物医学科学中至关重要。为了在纳米尺度研究这些界面,开发能够通过低温透射电子显微镜(cryo-TEM)进行观察的方法很有意义。在玻璃化之前的样品制备过程中,防止脱水以保持“天然”状态通常是低温透射电子显微镜实验中要控制的最重要参数之一。对于制备这类样品,我们觉得需要一个具有温度和湿度控制功能的扩展工作空间;一个能与玻璃化仪器Vitrobot无缝连接的“手套箱”。在本文中,我们描述了手套箱在DNA吸附和碳酸钙矿化到朗缪尔膜的二维和三维低温透射电子显微镜研究中的应用。所呈现的数据说明了湿度控制环境对于保持单层系统原始“天然”状态的必要性。